Jamie Chadwick W Series champion hopes to be a three-time champion this year. She knows that she is progressing very well and already sees herself with space in F3 or F2.
At only 24 years old, she is the champion of the W Series 2019 and 2021; and she is excited by the shot to win her third title. Her closest rival Alice Powel only beats her by 78 points with only four races to go.
The Briton is listed as a development driver for the Williams team. For her, winning a championship for the third tia crucialortant step, and of course, this leads her to think about conquering new grounds.
“My goal is always to keep improving. My goal is to be in Formula 3 or Formula 2; I am also looking at the possibilities in the United States, possibly Indy Lights. I am exploring all the options”, were the words of the British.
Definitely, this W Series world champion does not want to give up the dream of reaching Formula 1. “There has been time to understand what we are really capable of and what will be the best opportunity to sign something,” says Chadwick.
But despite dominating the W Series, she is an example of women facingn face significant obstacles to reaching places that are not considered for them. But this woman does not give up; she knows that this path is hard, but she does not give up in the face of inequalities.
The obstacles Chadwick faces as a female racer
The question is why a fairly proven winner cannot advance to Formula 1.
If you win formula 3 or formula 2, you are prohibited from returning the following season. This is a system that has its own problems leaving a driver in the garage for a year before they can make it to Formula 1.
For Chadwick, things have been difficult with his involvement, and now she will have to take summer vacation until he returns to Singapore on September 30.
“My goal is always to keep progressing,” Chadwick said before the break. “I really want the step up. I know I still need to perform this year, but I also have an eye on the future.”
It is already clear that returning for a fourth season is not the best thing for W Series; this is for its own good and for the championship.
The fates of competitors like Chadwick always become uncertain. Sophia Flörsch and Tatiana Calderón already competed in formula 2 and 3; in the case of Flörsch, she came to the series during the confinement and failed to score a single point in the 2020 season.
David Coulthard is one of the founders of the W Series and now also of More Than Equal, a program that seeks to bring a woman to formula, advisedadvise that Chadwick should be sure if she would measure up in F2 and F3.
Why Chadwick is determined to reach Formula 1
In motorsport, when a platform is created, it should be a meritocracy, according to Coulthard, considering that in Formula 2, only one, two, or three teams win.
That’s why when you get to F2, you have to arrive with the right car, which comes down to individual teams; also, if you try to make a driver part of a two-car team, therseveralber of elements to analyze so, this could be affecting Chadwick.
One of the situations experienced by Chadwick and many other women is the fact that in sports dominated by men where there is no gender differentiation, as in the case of motorsports, a complex reality is experienced, and that is that women get the opportunity to practice later than men, putting them at a disadvantage.
For example, F1 driver Lando Norris already practiced Karting at the age of 7, while Jamie Chadwick got shes shot at the age of 11.
So if we ask ourselves why she has not been able to advance, it is because she is still at a stage behind the others.
If you compare Norris and Russell, who share a social and competitive life, they have had hundreds of hours of difference with , so the difference is noticeable on a large scale.
That is why it is not considered fair that Jamie Chadwick; is not only competing in skill but also in experience.
Coulthard refers to the fact that motorsport’s apex body, the FIA, is bent on pushing Chadwick forward.
What does the future hold for Jamie Chadwick and her quest to reach Formula 1
For now, Porsche and Audi are expected to announce their Formula One entries after the 2026 engine rules have been approved.
Domenicali has discussed in South Africa the possibility of the Kyalami circuit returning to the F1 calendar in 2023, but still, the talks are not over.
At the moment, Chadwick seeks to increase the opportunities to be in F1, and it is expected that the chances will be equally accessible to female competitors.
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